D-Link Eagle Pro AI E15: Specifications
Wi-Fi Specifications: AX1500
Number of Antennas / Removable: 2/ no
Ports: 1 Gigabit LAN Gigabit per second
Peak 802.11ax performance: 205.5 Mbps (10 feet from the extender)
ranges: 50 feet
measuring: 4.1 x 2.5 x 1.9 inches
Estimated annual cost of electricity: $6.15
While its performance and range were average, the D-Link Eagle Pro AI E15 has a lot going for it, including artificial intelligence to direct data to less frequently used channels. It’s among the smallest Wi-Fi extenders, which means it can push your network unobtrusively into new areas.
Our D-Link Eagle Pro AI E15 review will help you decide if it’s one of the best The best Wi-Fi extenders available today and whether or not it can fill your home with a strong Wi-Fi signal.
D-Link Eagle Pro AI E15 review: Pricing and availability
The D-Link Eagle Pro AI E15 is a bargain at $55 compared to those that sell for twice that and more. Rated to cover 2,600 square feet. Combined with the host router, two extenders can fill a 6,000-square-foot home.
D-Link Eagle Pro AI E15 review: Design
The D-Link Eagle Pro AI E15 is one of the smallest Wi-Fi extenders around, and it can extend the reach of your network even further despite its size of just 4.1 x 2.5 x 1.9 inches. Small compared to the likes of the Linksys RE7310 or Netgear Nighthawk EAX80, the E15 has a pair of folded antennas that add 1.5 inches to its height.
The white and light blue color scheme in the background should blend effortlessly no matter your home décor. It has a two-prong plug that’s useful in older homes without grounded outlets, and the extender has four LED lights on the front that act as a signal strength meter to show it’s online with a strong connection.
Unlike other Wi-Fi extenders, the E15 includes a heavy dose of AI to reduce latency, increase throughput, and cover more area. Its AI engine constantly scans the 2.4 and 5GHz bands for congestion and routes data through open data channels—a plus in a crowded Wi-Fi area, like an apartment building. It cannot extend a 6GHz network when using a Wi-Fi 6E router even though it only supports Wi-Fi 6.
D-Link Eagle Pro AI E15 review: Performance
In my 100 year old home, the E15 performed well, extending my network into new areas but lagged behind the others in overall performance. With the extender placed 40 feet from Asus GT-AXE11000 routerit transferred an average of 205.5 megabits per second of data to a file Samsung Galaxy Book Pro placed 10 feet apart. That’s less than half of the 528.0Mbps offered by the TP-Link RE705X and a step down from the Nighthawk EAX80’s 358.0Mbps.
With the laptop set up 40 feet away from the extender, its transfer rate dropped to 54.1 Mbps. Tolerable for most uses, it’s one of the lowest we’ve seen for an expander under the same conditions. Later, I moved the receiver system up a flight of stairs, where the extender delivered 54.7 Mbps. Each of these results is beyond the performance of any of the other expanders.
The E15 extender added an additional 50 feet to my network. Unlike many other extenders available, the E15 is a power miser. In addition to only consuming 5.3 watts while in use, when it’s not active it drops to 4.1 watts. Used for half the day and sleeping the rest of the time, it should cost $6.15 a year, assuming you pay the national rate of 15 cents per kilowatt-hour of electricity.
During our two-week evaluation, the E15 easily played 4K video and music on my iPad Pro as well as hosted email transactions, making it a reliable way to push a Wi-Fi signal to a previously unconnected part of my house. On the other hand, it got hot, peaking at 115 degrees Fahrenheit. Most of the others never got more than a warm touch.
D-Link Eagle Pro AI E15 review: Features
The E15 uses beamforming, MUMIMO, and 1024 QAM to capture and expand signals in both the 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands. This can effectively send Wi-Fi data to previously disconnected areas of the home. It can transmit up to 300Mbps over the 2.4GHz band as well as 1.2Gbps over the 5GHz band. It adds up to the AX1500’s rating.
A pair of fin antennas supports 2×2 streaming on both bands. When extended, it adds 1.5 inches to the device’s height. Unfortunately, it cannot be rotated to pick up a weak signal.
There is no power button and no way to turn off its LED lights. In addition to the WPS button on the front, the E15 has a Gbps ethernet port and comes with a Cat 6 cable. There is a recessed reset button below it but the E15 does but the device works without a USB port to add a storage drive to the network.
D-Link Eagle Pro AI E15 review: Setup and software
Get the E15 online with my gaming router was a hijacker. It started with getting and installing the Eagle Pro AI app on my Samsung Galaxy Note 20 phone. There are apps for iOS and Android. After creating an account and agreeing to a D-Link license, I ignored the check boxes to receive marketing emails from D-Link.
I clicked the “+” on the interface to add a device, used the phone’s camera to photograph the QR code of the E15 and plugged it in 40 feet from the router. The app scanned the area and found an E15 extender. When the device LED blinks yellow, you click next.
There are tips on where to put the extender and you’re done with entering your network name and password. After a quick reboot it was ready. Setup took 11 minutes and 15 seconds.
The system dashboard shows that the extender is connected to the host router and the Internet with a green checkmark. Below, it shows the E15 unit itself as well as the number of devices connected to it.
The advanced mode below is a double-edged sword that shows a lot of detail and offers some room for customization, but presents itself as a web page that’s hard to read on a phone; Be ready to zoom and scroll or grab a tablet. The best part is the stats page which displays a variety of network performance indicators in graphs.
Finally, the E15’s Health Mode can help make sure kids (and tired adults) get enough sleep by scheduling offline sleep hours during which the extender isn’t working. Perfect to get some sleep.
D-Link Eagle Pro AI E15 review: Warranty and support
The device comes with a one-year warranty, but it can be extended inexpensively for $6 (an additional year), $10 (two years), or $15 (an additional three years). Instead of Netgear’s 90-day support policy, D-Link only provides support for a month, but it can be extended to 90 days by signing up. Either way, it’s second rate to the likes of Tenda’s lifetime support and three-year warranty on the A27 extender.
In general, the D-Link website has been slow to deliver what’s on offer. The support site contains videos and FAQs to help first timers set up the E15 as well as the manual and installation guide that came with the device.
D-Link Eagle Pro AI E15 review: The verdict
It may not be the fastest or longest-reach extender, but the D-Link Eagle Pro AI E15 was a reliable way to take my Wi-Fi to new areas of my home. AI helps streamline operations and can be used as a wired access point. It may be a bargain but the E15 fails in all areas of performance.
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